When it comes to sizes and shapes of cigars, there can be some confusion. There are two measures for a cigar; Length and diameter, or "ring gage". With the possible exception of conversion from metric to US customary systems of measure; the size is fairly easy to follow. Length is either centimeters or inches, and ring gage is in 64ths of an inch. For example, a cigar size of 6 by 32 would be a six inch long cigar with a half inch diameter.
Due to generations of manufacturers independently naming their styles of cigars, one name can represent a variety of definitions. For example, an eight and a half inch cigar with a ring gage of 52 is a nice big, fairly popular size cigar; Many manufacturers make them.
Don Lindo - Supremos; Don Thomas - Gigante; El Rey Del Mundo - Coronation; Joya De Nicaragua - Viajante; Licenciados - Soberano; Mocha Supreme - Rembrandt; Primo Del Rey - Barons; Te - Amo - C.E.O;
And if that isn't puzzling enough, many manufacturers today don't "name" their cigars at all, choosing instead use numbers to delineate their stock. The same size cigar, (8.5 inch 52 ring gage) produced by Tresado is simply called "No. 100"
Shapes come in two styles: The straight, or "parejos" and the irregular or "figurados".
Of the parejos, there are some traditional names that many producers employ and they follow a somewhat consistent pattern.
Petite Panatelas 4.5 inches - 5.00 28 - 35 ring gage
Petite Coronas 4.0 inches - 5.5 38 - 43 ring gage
Petite Lonsdales 4.75 inches - 5.00 42 - 43 ring gage
Robustos 4.50 inches - 6.00 48 - 54 ring gage
Coronas 5.00 inches - 6.75 40 - 50 ring gage
Panatelas 4.50 inches - 7.50 26 - 38 ring gage
Lonsdales 6.00 inches - 6.75 42 - 44 ring gage
Gran Panatelas 6.75 inches - 7.50 28 - 40 ring gage